Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

ACC Upset Watch: Week 4

Two teams we had on upset watch last week ended up losing: Louisville and Virginia Tech. That is all the warning needed for this week's edition.

Eds note: We are including ACC underdogs with a chance to pull upsets, too.

1. Maryland (2-1) at Syracuse (2-0), 12:30 p.m., ESPN3. Line: Syracuse by 2. The Orange posted a 40-3 win against Central Michigan last week. That counts as a big win considering the double-overtime scare they survived in Week 1. Still, how much do we really know about Syracuse right now? Is Terrel Hunt as good as he was last week or as average as he was in the first half against Villanova? Is the defense as feisty as the one we saw against the Chippewas or the one that was not very physical against Villanova? Maryland has not exactly impressed anyone with a close win over USF and then a 40-37 loss to West Virginia last week in which the Mountaineers ran 108 plays and Clint Trickett passed for 511 yards. Still, the Terps have a veteran quarterback in C.J. Brown and top-notch receiver in Stefon Diggs -- two players who missed Syracuse's 20-3 win against Maryland a year ago.

2. Army (1-1) at Wake Forest (1-2), 3:30 p.m., ESPN3. Line: Army by 2. Wake Forest has not exactly given its fans reason for hope but the Deacs did show signs of life last week in a loss to Utah State. After trailing 29-7 at halftime, Wake Forest cut the deficit to 29-21 before losing 36-24. Turnovers have been a huge killer in both losses. Last week, the Aggies scored on a pick-six and a fumble return for a touchdown. ULM also scored on a pick-six in the opener to win 17-10. If Wake Forest can limit such damaging mistakes, then they will be in some games down the road. Because the defense is respectable. Better than respectable, actually, ranking in the top half of the ACC in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. Wake Forest beat Army last season and has won seven straight in the series. The Demon Deacons are 6-0 vs. Army at BB&T Field and have not lost to the Black Knights since 1989.

3. North Carolina (2-0) at East Carolina (2-1), 3:30 p.m., ESPNU. Line: East Carolina by 2. The Pirates are riding high after their win against Virginia Tech, and have something else going for them, too -- they embarrassed North Carolina in Chapel Hill one season ago. So if Shane Carden and company had a huge day against the Tar Heels last season, what will prevent them from having a big day against the Tar Heels this year? North Carolina ranks No. 94 in the nation in passing yards allowed (average 265 per game) and has been in a dogfight with its first two opponents -- neither of them as good as East Carolina. Meanwhile, the North Carolina offense will be without starting guard Landon Turner, and is expected to start true freshman Jared Cohen in his place. But not all is bleak. North Carolina can score with the best of them, and the Tar Heels will not overlook the Pirates the way they did a season ago. With a week off to prepare, North Carolina will be ready.

4. Virginia (2-1) at BYU (3-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN. Line: BYU by 15. The Cougars have looked the part in the early going, but Virginia has not been a walkover for anybody. Virginia was not even a walkover for BYU last season -- the Hoos beat the Cougars to start the season before everything else went south. So how can Virginia pull the upset? Follow the same blueprint it did last week in a win over Louisville. Virginia totally shut down dual-threat quarterback Brett Hundley so the Hoos will have that experience under their belts when they take on dual-threat Taysom Hill. The Hoos also have been terrific at creating turnovers. Their nine turnovers gained is tied for second in the country. The offense still has to find some consistency and a ground game, but with a take-charge defense leading the way, Virginia will be a threat to pull off the upset.

^ Back to Top ^